The Bar Room’s New York-Inspired Empire State Negroni

Name: Empire State Negroni
Prep time: 2 min
Total time: 2 min
Ingredients: 1 oz Forthave Spirits Red; 1 oz Isolation Proof Gin; 1 oz Method Sweet Vermouth

The bar at historic downtown hotel The Beekman features an Italian-inspired ode to New York. Here’s the story and how to make the cocktail.

By Morgan Hines

10:00 AM EDT on April 17, 2024

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There’s no place like New York. After living in Manhattan for nearly seven years, I can say that with confidence. And while I’m partial to the city, the state has plenty to offer, including spirits. Including, even, a New York State-inspired Negroni.

The Bar Room at The Beekman is paying homage to New York State’s spirits with its Empire State Negroni, featuring Isolation Proof Gin from the Catskills, Brooklyn-based Forthave Spirits Red, and Method Sweet Vermouth, produced in the Finger Lakes.

Isabella Fitzgerald, beverage director for The Bar Room, called the cocktail “a love letter for New York State Spirits.”

To distill in New York State, the ingredients used have to come from within New York, Fitzgerald says, noting that over time, distilling has become better within the state’s lines — and now options produced within the Empire State are perfect for mixing into a delicious cocktail, fit for a luxury bar.

“Five or 10 years ago, we didn't have a great New York State Campari alternative, or a suitable vermouth alternative, and what these distillers have made are beautiful, true spirits showcasing what New York State can do,” says Fitzgerald. “The Method Sweet Vermouth is the preferred vermouth for a lot of our bartenders in place of Dolin Rouge or Carpano Antica for its soft touch when woven into a cocktail.”

Here, the Bar Room shares its recipe for its Empire State Negroni with Appetito—and with you!